Detachable cleat for shoes



Fek, 15, E949. I Y J WRHGHT 2A$L571 I DETACHABLE CLEAT FOR SHOES Filed Nov. 12, 1946 INVENTGR. JACK R. WRIGHT ATTORNEY good .=.engagement Patented Feb. 15, W49

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE nnrnennnen outer-Fora SHOES Jack B. Wright, Los'Ange'les; oa-iir. Application-November 12, 19746,; Serial No 7'09,3.62 3 Claims. (Cl.36;-"T.7.)

This invention relates ta cleats. that can be attached to acstandarcd type of shoe for rendering it suitable for use in sports and the like where ordinarily-special shoes having integrally formed cleats are, employedobject of the invention is. to provide an inexpensive and practical cleat" that can be quickly attached-toair ordinary shoe. and quickly removed therefrom.

;Another; object is to provide; a detachable cleatrthat is unusually efiec'tive; in forming a I v I with the ground tocprovide good traction and prevent. slipping on .sodk=and the like.

Another object is to provide a detachable cleat for shoes that is adapted for manufacture by cheap and inexpensive methods.

Other more specific objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description to follow of a preferred embodiment.

In general, a cleat in accordance with the present invention consists of a wire element having four arms that radiate from a common point beneath the sole of a shoe to four points at theedge :of the sole where they are turned up and inwardly to engage the edge of the sole. The four arms lie against the face of the shoe sole and, in use, are pressed into the ground to provide a non-skid effect. This non-skid effect can be further increased by providing projections at various points along the arms that will press into the ground even farther.

Referring now to the drawing for a disclosure of certain preferred forms of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a view looking at the bottom of a shoe sole showing a cleat in accordance with the invention attached thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the cleat of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken in the plane III-lII of-Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modified form of cleat in accordance with the invention; and

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken in the plane VV of Fig. 4.

Referring first to Fig. 1, a cleat in accordance with the invention may consist of two pieces of wire l0 and II respectively, which are interconnected by a sleeve l2. The wire In comprises three sections um, lllb and' lllc, and the wire ll consists of three sections Ila, llb and Ho. Each of the sections is substantially straight. The sections lob and l lb are relatively short and are connected together by the sleeve l2, so that they lie in contact with each other.

The sections Ella and lla are longer than the sections lllb and-14b and are; approximately. of equal. length The sections. we. and. VI lc are. both longer thanthe sections Ilia and Na, and the section Me; is preferably somewhat longer than :thasectionlllc, toabetter adapt. the. cleat for use one-one or the. other of the two shoesof a pair.

The particular design shown in Fig. 1. is adapted foruse on a' left: shoe. I

Anits opposite ends, each of the wires. [0 and .ll is. turned: upwardly and! inwardly to form hooks.- i3 (Fig. .2 )v which are adapted to. extend uppast theedge of. the. s01e:.0f. theshoe and. in-

wardly against the. top of. the .sole,. toretain the The other two arms lllc and He engage the edges of the sole slightly rearwardly of its widest portion. The longer arm llc extends to the outer edge of the sole, and the shorter arm lflc extends to the inner edge.

The cleat can be readily attached to the sole by first engaging the hooks ion the front arms Na and l in. over the edge of the sole near its forward end, then engaging the hook on the arm Hlc against the inner edge of the sole, and finally bending the arm llc sufiiciently to engage its hook over the outer edge of the sole.

The arms lfla, Ila, H10, and Ho lying against the underside of the sole provide considerable friction with the earth. This friction can .be increased by bending each arm to provide projections that extend further into the ground. In the particular construction shown in. Figs. 1 and 2, one projection l5 is shown in eachof the shorter arms Illa and Ila, and two projections It and l! are shown in each of the longer arms lllc and He. The projections l5 are provided intermediate the ends of the arms Illa. and Ila respectively. The projections l6 are provided preferably adjacent the sleeve l2, and the projections i! are located near the outer ends of the arms lflc and H0.

As shown in Fig. 3 the sleeve l2 may be formed of sheet metal folded around and enclosing the short sections l 0b and llb of the wires. However it is to be understood that the two wires can be joined by other means. Thus they could'be joined by wrapping a wire around them or by welding, brazing, or any other known method of attachment.

There is shown in Fig. 4 a modified construc- 3 tion of cleat, which dillers from that of Fig. 1 in having detachable calks and in having a reinforcing brace interconnecting the long arms.

Thus the cleat of Fig. 4 comprises sections 20a, 20b, 200, Ma, 2lb, and Zlc corresponding to the sections Illa, I01), I00 and Ila, llb, lie of Fig. 1, and a connecting sleeve 22 corresponding to sleeve l2 of Fig. 1.

However, instead of having projections formed in the Wire itself, as in Fig. 1, the structure of Fig. 4 has threaded holes 23 in the arms for the reception of threaded calks 24 as shown in Fig. 5.

In the structure of Fig. 4, the longest arm 2| c is reinforced by a brace 2011. As shown, this brace 20d consists of a continuation of the arm 200, the hook portion l3 of which is simply bent back upon itself. At its outer end the brace 20d is bent to form an eye 206 which encircles the arm 2|c, and the latter is serrated, as indicated at 2Id, to resist slippage of the eye 20c there,- along.

The brace 20d materially stiffens the long arm Me and is particularly useful in cleats for large shoes.

The construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 has the advantage over that shown in Fig. 4 that it can be collapsed. for carrying purposes. effected by rotating the sections lflb and llb in opposite directions within the sleeve l2 until the section Illa lies alongside the section Ila, and the section lllc lies alongside the section I [0.

Various other departures from the exact construction shown and described can'be made without departing from the invention which is to be limited only to the extent set forth in the appended claims.

This is I claim: v

1. A-detachable cleat for a shoe having a projecting sole, said cleat comprising a wire member adapted to lie against said sole, and having a plurality of arms adapted to extend to the edge of the sole, the outer ends of-the arms extending first upwardly and then inwardly to engage the edge of the sole and secure the cleat to the sole, said plurality of arms including a pair of rearwardly extending arms one of which is adapted to engage the inner edge of the sole and the other of which is longer than said one arm and is adapted to engage the outer edge of the sole, and a brace extending from the outer end of said one arm to an intermediate point on said other arm.

2. A ole-at according to claim 1 in which said brace is rigidly connected to said one arm and slidably connected to said other arm.

3. A cleat according to claim 2 in which said other arm is serrate at the point of engagement therewith of said brace.

JACK R. WRIGHT.

REFERENCES. CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

